Pain Management Services

Pain Management Services

Before a patient undergoes treatment for chronic pain symptoms, physicians conduct a comprehensive evaluation in order to determine the best pain management strategy. Healthcare providers assess all facets of the pain including mental health status, substance use, pain location and intensity.

Pharmacologic management is the evaluation and monitoring of patients who are experiencing medical therapy. Physicians supervise patients taking multiple medications to measure the effectiveness of pharmaceutical combinations.

Physical therapy is a process of treating pain with exercise, massage, manual movement therapy, and physical manipulation. This therapy is performed by Certified Physical Therapist. This form of treatment tries to alleviate stiffness, soreness, weakness, and inflammation through focused and effective strength building.

Fluoroscopically guided procedures are image-guided injections using anti-inflammatory steroids and local anesthetic. Physicians use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) to ensure an accurate injection into the site of the pain.

Licensed Professional Counselors offer counseling sessions for patients being treated for pain conditions. Counselors are trained in treating mental, behavioral, and emotional disorders. They use a variety of professional therapy techniques including coping skills, relaxation, stress management, and verbal communication.

Electromyography and Nerve Conduction Studies, or EMG/NCS, is the recording of the electrical activity in the muscles and nerves. The study used small devices called electrodes to measure electrical signals transmitted by neurons.

Genetic testing is the evaluation of DNA found in blood, urine, or oral fluid. Physicians use genotyping to determine whether a patient will have an adverse effect from the prescribed medication used to manage pain. This helps healthcare providers improve medical therapy by eliminating pharmaceuticals that may not be effective.

Urine drug testing is the process of evaluating a patient’s system for the presence of legal and illegal substances. Physicians use drug screening to monitor patients receiving medical therapy for pain management. It allows healthcare professionals the ability to measure the efficiency of pain medications. Each patient metabolizes pharmaceuticals at different rates and it is important for physicians to know how their patients are responding to the medications they are taking. This is where urine drug testing provides this analysis.

DME is an acronym for the term “Durable Medical Equipment” which are devices used for disabled patients, injury or surgery. There are several types of DME including hospital beds, patient lifts, and wheelchairs. Pain management specialists commonly use braces for the knee, ankle, back, shoulder, neck, and foot.